How To Save Money on College Textbooks

Everyone knows college is expensive.

And often, there’s little you can do to reduce your costs. (That athletic facility fee you’re paying? Non-negotiable!)

However, taking advantage of the opportunities you do have can result in massive savings over time.

One example? Your college textbook costs.

College textbook costs can be ENORMOUS in one semester alone—let alone for the eight or more semesters required to get a Bachelor’s degree.

But if you’re a savvy shopper, you can save hundreds to thousands of dollars in this one area alone.

So, that’s what we’ll be focusing on today. We’ll discuss:

• Where to find college textbook deals
• 9 shopping tips that will help you save money on your college textbooks

Let’s get started!

Where To Find College Textbook Deals

Obviously, your college bookstore (or online shopping cart) is the logical place to start.

However, unless you absolutely have to exercise that option, it’s best for you to avoid buying from them altogether.

As a general rule, direct options offered through your university will be more expensive than other options. It’s just the way things are 99% of the time.

Thankfully, you have options both within your college community and online.

We’ll talk a bit more about community options throughout the next section. However, for now, I want to highlight some of the most helpful websites, tools, and resources for college textbook shopping.

Websites

You’re undoubtedly familiar with run-of-the-mill e-commerce options like Amazon, eBay, and so many others.

However, there’s tons of websites that are also specifically catered to books in general or college books in particular.

I’m going to be blunt: A lot of them aren’t great.

To be fair, we should exercise SOME leniency given how Amazon, in particular, has eaten up so much competition (and therefore, profit that could be invested in better features and services at these other websites).

However, at minimum, you should do your research to confirm:

• The reputation of the website
• The reputation of the company
• The security of your information
• How the company resolves complaints

At this time, I only feel comfortable recommending Chegg.com, TextbookRush.com, and AbeBooks.com for your consideration.

But keep in mind: Their favorability could change in an instant with one bad blunder. Do your homework, resist the temptation to jump on the bandwagon just because a URL has the words “college”, “campus”, or “cheap” in it.

Browser Extensions

Want someone else to do your price comparison shopping for you?

Check out OccupyTheBookstore!

This browser add-on (for Google Chrome) allows you to peruse your textbook list from your bookstore website.

From there, OTB will then instantly scour the internet to tell you what the best available deal is. Easy-peasy.

Free Book Communities

If you’re lucky, you might not even have to buy some (or all) of your textbooks at all!

Some people feel that education is a human right that shouldn’t have ability-to-pay barriers associated with it. That’s why online communities are popping up to directly address educational needs by providing textbooks and other content for free.

A few of these communities include:

9 Shopping Tips For Saving Money on College Textbooks

When shopping for your college textbooks, there are several things you can do to reduce your costs.

However, with each choice, it’s important to be aware of the cautions and potential downsides that go along with them as well.

Here’s 9 shopping tips you can reference to help you save money on your college textbooks.

Downgrade Your Book Binding

If you’re a book-lover like me, there’s nothing better than a well-made hardcover.

However, if your goal is to save money, you may need to be willing to switch to a less attractive physical copy of your books.

To figure out what options you have, find the ISBN for each of the textbooks you’ll need.

You can then either:

• Manually thumb through the format options presented to you as they pop up in your search
• Explicitly add “paperback” or “loose-leaf” to your search query when making your search

As a generality, loose-leaf books will tend to be the cheapest options presented to you. But sometimes your search results will surprise you, so don’t immediately assume that this will be the cheapest option without checking the other formats first.

Cautions

Make sure to factor in the cost of a three-ring binder if you end up going with the loose-leaf option. You don’t want that cost to eat up any savings you have.

Go For Digital Copies Instead Of Physical Copies

This will be another option that lovers of physical books will find hard to swallow.

However, there’s several advantages to going digital:

• Different format, but same content!
• Doesn’t take up physical space and is less wasteful
• Can access content across locations of all of your devices
• Can often highlight, take notes in the book, do keyword searches within the book, and create digital flashcards with ease.

All you need to take advantage of your digital copies is either a PDF reader or an e-reader installed on your computer, tablet, and/or smartphone.

Cautions

Pay attention to the file format and requirements for the digital copy you’re considering. E-books won’t be supported by all devices, so you’ll need to double-check this before making your purchase.

Be mindful of how unforeseen disasters (spilling your drink, getting a computer virus) could be disruptive to your studies. If you’ll only be using one device, you’ll need to safeguard it with your life.

Finally, be mindful that seminar-style classes (which often require you to jump from page to page) may be more difficult to quickly navigate with an e-book. This shouldn’t be a major deterrent, but it can make the difference between knowing the answer in time vs. not knowing it when your professor calls on you.

Buy Used Instead Of New

If you’re comfortable with a less attractive copy, why not get what you need at a fraction of the cost?

Are you able to purchase directly from another student? Great! You’ll be doing a huge favor for the both of you.

But if that’s not an option, you should be able to find dozens of options either through community bookstores or online sellers.

Cautions

Some books are better candidates for “going used” than others. Traditional textbooks are fine. However, if a class requires a workbook that you’ll be writing in yourself (e.g., an anatomy or foreign language workbook), it’s probably safest to plan on going with a new copy.

If you aren’t able to physically examine a book, research the reputation of online sellers you’re considering. Look for comments on whether the items arrived as described (in addition to any commentary on their return policies, just in case).

Consider Buying The Second-Most Recent Edition

Fun fact: You save money while getting majority (if not 100%) of the same content by choosing to buy the previous edition of your book.

If your book is in its second edition or greater, see if you can track down the previous version and buy that instead.

Cautions

A highly recommend asking your professor in advance if using the previous edition will be a problem. You can always play it off by saying, “Oops, I think I ordered the wrong one; is that going to be a problem?” Often, it won’t be—but you can’t say that unless you talk to your instructor.

If you aren’t able to get assurance from your instructor, try to find as much content information as you can. For example, you can compare previews of the table of contents and samples of chapters. Furthermore, the newest editions usually contain some statement about what’s changed since the last edition. Examine that statement to see if the changes seem significant.

Rent Instead Of Buy

You don’t have to buy your book outright.

If you don’t want to and don’t have to keep a book after your class is over, then this could be a great cost-effective option for you to consider.

BONUS: You won’t have to worry about the hassle of reselling the book after your class is over.

Cautions

Textbook rentals are a great idea for general education (or “Core”) courses. However, you’ll want to think carefully about textbooks for courses within your major. It’s true that most people don’t reference their old textbooks going forward. But some people want to pursue a career path that requires graduate school, medical school, law school, etc. If so, having that content on hand can really help you prepare for subject matter exams (e.g., a subject matter GRE required for admission).

If you do rent, make sure to research the return policy as well. Rentals can sometimes be weird. If you realize on Day 1 that you’ve rented the wrong textbook, will you be stuck with the charge or will you get a refund to help you with your correct purchase?

Take Advantage Of Price Alerts

Price alerts are kind of like speed-dating—without the usual frustrations and sleaze, that is.

Setting up a price alert can save you money by allowing you to set your own desired price. If a textbook becomes available in your desired price range, you’ll be notified. And then you’ll both go on a date, or…..something like that.

Like the sound of this? Check out Amazon’s The Shopping Price Alert.

Cautions

This approach works best for those who have time to spare. If you want to give this option a try, you’ll need to be proactive and start early. Give yourself at least a few weeks before pouncing on other options.

Also: Something may fall into your desired price range, but you’ll still need to make sure that your textbook is what you want (new/used, good condition/poor condition, etc.).

Share A Book With A Classmate

It’s two educations for the price of one!

If you can share a book with another student, that could be an easy 50% discount for you.

In my experience, this arrangement works best when:

• You’ll be sharing a textbook for a general education (“Core” course and not a course from your major
• Your classmate attends class on different days than you do
• Your classmate tends not to study that much

Cautions

A lot of people who enter into this arrangement fail to consider the aftermath. When the class is over, who’s going to sell the book back? And furthermore, after the book is sold, are you going to share the refund in the same way that you shared the purchase cost? Figure this out BEFORE you start sharing.

Check Out Your Community Libraries

Sometimes, you may be asked to read supplemental novels, popular books, or other books for your course. This is common in humanities courses (English, history, etc.).

If you find yourself in this position, then never fear! Chances are, one of your local libraries may have what you need on hand.

Library cards are often either free or very inexpensive. Even if you don’t have an immediate need for one right now, getting one could come in handy in the future.

Cautions

You know what I’m going to say: Don’t forget to return your books on time! Set a calendar reminder so protect yourself from late fees that can really add up over time.

Look For An Evaluation Copy Of The Textbook

Evaluation copies of textbooks are what professors use. They have the same content as the textbook you’ll receive, but may contain bonus content for professors.

Often, book companies may send copies of them to professors to woo them into choosing their textbooks. Other times, professors receive these copies along with a test bank after they’ve made their textbook decision.

Cautions

This is a rare, long-shot opportunity that probably won’t present itself very often. You’re basically at the whim of professors who 1) are done with their books, and 2) decide to try and sell it to non-professor consumers. But who knows; you might get lucky and find one.

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College may be expensive, but your textbooks don’t have to be.

Today, there’s more options available than ever before for budget-conscious students (read: that’s basically EVERYONE).

To maximize your savings, start by choosing your preferred shopping tools and outlets (shopping add-ons to your browser, websites, free textbook communities, and your local library and other entities).

From there, weigh the savings you’ll get with the cautions associated with each method. If you need a refresher, don’t hesitate to revisit my discussion of those (above).

Happy college textbook shopping, and good luck with your classes!

And now I’d like to hear from you.

• Where do you like to buy your college textbooks?

• What other tips do you have for reducing the cost of college textbooks?

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